This invention relates to new and useful improvements in vehicle mounted winches and more particularly pertains to a change speed gearing for such winches.
Various types of winches have heretofore been provided for mounting on vehicles, particularly at the front of the vehicle, for assisting the vehicle over rough terrain or for hauling in or paying out a load line. One such winch assembly is shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,618,898 and another winch of this character is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,004,780. These winch assemblies have clutch or gear means to allow disengagement of the drum from the power mechanism so that the line can be drawn out manually at a fast rate. However, powered intake or outlet of the line from the winch is at a uniform speed and such winch mechanisms thus have the disadvantage that only slow movement of the winch line is available in a powered condition of the winch.